


Technically Speaking

by smoakmonster



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternative Universe - No Island, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Pen Pals, You've Got Mail AU, olicity - Freeform, olicity au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 10:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14187063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoakmonster/pseuds/smoakmonster
Summary: Felicity Smoak is just your average IT girl trying to earn a decent living to support her coffee habit and save her small, struggling computer shop (her baby) from extinction. In bustling Starling City, it’s a bit like trying to save Radio Shack. Things go from bad to worse when her biggest tech competitor--Queen Consolidated--plants a new store location RIGHT around the corner from her. Meanwhile, Felicity spends most (all) of her free time engaged in an old-fashioned pen pal correspondence with Mr. Perfect via email. They tell each other everything. Except their names. By day, Felicity verbally wrestles with her cocky and incompetent rival Oliver Queen. By night, Felicity ignores her hacker reservations and buried insecurities and finds herself falling in love with her sweet and charming pen pal. These two men in her life could not be more different. Could they? Maybe. Probably. Hopefully.





	Technically Speaking

**Author's Note:**

> Just your typical fun and fluffy You've Got Mail AU.
> 
> I have a bad habit of starting new AUs while still juggling several WIPs. Oops.

**FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 **SENT:** MARCH 1, 7:13 AM

 **SUBJECT** **:** Good Morning

 

Good morning, Mr. Green.

Hehe. It’s still fun calling you that. Sometimes I feel like we’re playing a game of Clue. Which in a way I guess we are. I don’t know who you are, and you don’t know who I am. And that’s just the way things are for now for us.

Not that there’s an US us.

Just that...you and I...exchanging emails like this for WEEKS implies a kind of kindred spiritedness, right? You understand what I mean, don’t you? I’m starting to think you may be the only one who understands me in general.

The fact that I am able to form semi-complete sentences at this time of morning--without coffee--is further proof that our pen pal correspondence is the exception to literally all of the rules in my life. Most days I look forward to your emails more than coffee.

Have I mentioned that I’m kind of addicted to coffee?

Because I am.

Like a lot.

My friends tried to send me to rehab once (aka “DRINK TEA”). IT DID NOT WORK. I HATE TEA. IT MAKES ME GAG. UGH.

Anyway, I don’t consider myself much of a coffee snob. (Although I suppose most people don’t consider themselves to be snobs about anything, do they?) I don’t really have a preference when it comes to my drug of choice--black, latte, hot, cold. Just as long as it’s got a hefty dose of caffeine and is tolerable to my taste buds, I am sold.

The only thing I will say is that I generally don’t like making coffee for other people. I guess that’s how places like Starbucks do so well--making millions thanks to the incompetence and the desire to *make good choices!* of the average worker bee.

Are you a coffee drinker?

I would attempt to make coffee for you. Emphasis on attempt.

I have to warn you--I use a Keurig. Some people might say that disqualifies me from my right to judge what true coffee ought to taste like. But ever since Kitchen Incident Number 43, I don’t trust myself NOT to burn a regularly brewed pot of coffee.

Did I mention I’m really bad in the kitchen?

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

THAT WAS NOT A EUPHEMISM, I SWEAR. SORRY!

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

Dear Ghost Fox,

It’s always nice to come in from my morning run to find your email waiting for me. It feels a bit like I’m running home to you.

I know you said you’re not a proponent of exercising outside in the frigid “doom and gloom” air, but I think you’d like Starling City on the edge of morning. There’s something...I don’t know, magical, I guess about watching the sun come up, hearing the city slowly wake up all around you. I’d like to show it to you someday.

Underneath all that coffee piety, I think there’s a compliment for me buried in there somewhere. So thank you? I’ll take what I can get.

Good idea suggesting Star Wars themed pancakes, by the way. They’ve been a hit all week, and I’ve been guilted into promising more pancakes yet again this morning. Yesterday I had to sneak in a few bananas. Today I’m thinking almond butter and oatmeal. I can’t have my son growing up addicted to pancakes.

-Green

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

P.S. Please don’t ever apologize for being yourself or for making me laugh. You’re remarkable.

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

Thank you for remarking on it. You’re not so bad yourself, Masterchef. Not that I’ve had the privilege of actually sampling any of your delicacies. (Also not a euphemism, just to be clear. I tried rewriting that sentence at least six times, and at this point I will be late for work. Can you be late if technically you are the boss though???)

My mother already swears by your desserts.

Speaking of, you don’t happen to have any tips for making a good baklava? Apparently being Jewish is not enough of a prerequisite to make one proficient in the baklava department.

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

As a still-struggling CEO who has been perpetually absent and/or late to meetings over the years, I can tell you that, yes, it is very possible to be the boss and still be late.

I’ll never forget the first meeting I attended fresh out of business school, walking into the boardroom of my family’s company full of judgmental eyes. I spilled a latte on my laptop that day, too. Needless to say, my penchant for coffee kind of died that day along with my hard drive.

But if we lived in the same building and you brought me coffee, I’d be more than happy to make you breakfast in return. 0% chance of burning.

As for your mother’s baklava needs, there’s a fantastic recipe that was just posted to Food Network. I’ll need to check my desktop bookmarks for the link. Give me a few hours.

-Green

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

YOU SPILLED COFFEE ON A COMPUTER?!?!!

How dare you. The travesty. That hurts me. In my soul.

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

It’s not like I did it on purpose.

-Green

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

Still.

Oh, thanks for the recipe tip--I found it! We will not fail this dessert.

Also, how did you know that it’s my mom doing the cooking and not me???

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

Call it a hunch.

-Green

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

I wish I could bring myself to feel insulted, but I really can’t.

And, sidenote, I’ve been meaning to ask, is being a CEO the reason why you still sign all of your emails so officially?

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

Old habits.

-Green

;)

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

Oh, a winky face! He can be taught! We’ll get you using emojis in no time.

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

You mean those weird little faces and shapes that come with your phone now? Those things are intense.

-Green

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

Actually, they’re IN the keyboard settings.

Sorry.

Maybe that pun only works when you say it out loud?

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

You got a chuckle out of me.

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

You don’t have to pretend to laugh on my account.

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

Who says I’m pretending?

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

Seriously though, I don’t know if we’ve talked about this before, but it must be tough for you--the being a single parent and running a company part--not the habitually signing your emails part. (Although, you know you can just add a signature to your emails, right? That way you don’t have to type out “Green” every time. JUST a thought.)

I was raised by a single mom, so I know the struggle is very real.

And I can barely manage just the running a company part. It’s not even that big of a company, just a little tech store that I started up from scratch. But it’s my baby.

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

Sounds like your love your work. That’s good.

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

I do love it. I like helping people. It gives my life...purpose.

What about you? You don’t love being the CEO of a million dollar conglomerate?

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

It’s a billion, actually.

And no, I don’t love it. Not like I love being a dad.

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

That’s sweet. Your son’s lucky to have you.

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

It also happens to be the truth. I don’t know, being a CEO just isn’t...intuitive for me. The decisions I have to make every day don’t always feel like me. They feel more like some severe persona from my parents’ imagination, some masked version of myself who doesn’t really exist.

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

Oh, Green, I’m sorry. I wish I could help, but I've been told I don’t exactly have the most shrewd business mind. Too much empathy--that’s my curse. And that’s why it will literally be a miracle if the store manages to break even over the next month.

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

Having too much empathy is not a curse.

And maybe I can help. I do have a business degree.

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

And I have a master’s degree in computer science, but that doesn’t seem to be solving the software glitch plague that’s going around. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

And hey, what happened to signing your emails?

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

I’m currently in a meeting now, and the only reason I’m getting away with emailing you is by pretending you’re one of our investors. Best to remain incognito.

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

Slacking on the job there, Mister CEO.

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

Hello?

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

I’ll have you know that you’ve begun a very bad habit of making me smile like a teenager in front of a dozen board members.

 

 **FROM:** ghostfoxgoddess

 **TO:** greenarcher07

 

Is that your way of saying you want me to stop talking to you?

 

 **FROM:** greenarcher07

 **TO:** ghostfoxgoddess

 

Never. Never stop talking to me.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. 
> 
> I'm trying something new here, so let me know what you think!


End file.
